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Giles County, Virginia Genealogy

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Guide to Giles County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.


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Giles County, Virginia
Map
Boundary map of Giles County, Virginia
Map of Virginia highlighting Giles County
Location in the state of Virginia
Map of the U.S. highlighting Virginia
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded 1806
County Seat Pearisburg
Courthouse
VirginiaGilesCourthouse.jpg


County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Giles County is located in the Southwest portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with West Virginia. The county was named for William Branch Giles, United States Senator from Virginia at that time[1].

Giles County Virginia Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Giles County Courthouse
501 Wenonah Ave
P O Box 502
Pearisburg, Va 24134
Phone: 540-626-7075

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1806,
birth and death records 185801896
divorce, probate court and land records.[2]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1858 1806 1858 1806 1806 1806 1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912.
General compliance year is unknown.

Giles County Virginia History[edit | edit source]

William B Giles.JPG

The county was named after Virginia Senator William B. Giles (1762-1830), who later served as the Virginia's Governor.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

1806--Giles County was created 16 January 1806 from Montgomery, Monroe County (West Virginia), Tazewell  and  Wythe Counties.
County seat: Pearisburg [2]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

  • Lost census: 1890

Giles County, Virginia Places/Localities[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[4]

Towns
Unincorporated communities


Giles County Virginia Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872

Heinegg, Paul. "Giles County Register of Free Negroes, 1816-1864," Free African Americans.com, available online.

  • Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library FHL (Includes information from Giles County.)

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:


Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Tombstone Transcriptions Online Tombstone Transcriptions in Print List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com Family History Library Findagrave.com
VAGenWeb WorldCat Billion Graves
VAGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
Billion Graves
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

Census[edit | edit source]

For tips on accessing Giles County, Virginia Genealogy census records online, see: Virginia Census.


Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
18103,745
—
18204,52120.7%
18305,27416.7%
18405,3070.6%
18506,57023.8%
18606,8834.8%
18705,875−14.6%
18808,79449.7%
18909,0903.4%
190010,79318.7%
191011,6237.7%
192011,9012.4%
193012,8047.6%
194014,63514.3%
195018,95629.5%
196017,219−9.2%
197016,741−2.8%
198017,8106.4%
199016,366−8.1%
200016,6571.8%

1810

  • Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1810 Census of Giles County, Virginia. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1970. Available at FHL.
  • 1810 Census of Giles County, Virginia. Beverly, W. Va.: Crickard, 1979. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

1840

  • Douthat, James L. 1840 Mountain Empire of Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL Collection 975.5 X2d 1840. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. [Includes Giles County.]

1860

  • Davis, Charley L. Giles County, Virginia 1860 Census Annotated: Family Histories - Births - Marriages - Deaths. Virginia?: C.L. Davis, 1991. Available at FHL.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist[edit | edit source]

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

  1. Blue Stone (1804)[5]
  2. Sinking Creek (1796)[5]

Giles County fell within the bounds of the New River Association and the Greenbrier Association.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Chancery Court

Indexes (1807-1936) and images (1807-1929) to Giles County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

More than 25 genealogies have been published about Giles County families. To view a list, visit Giles County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

  • Friend, Robert C. Giles County, 1806-1956: A History. Pearisburg, Va.: Giles County Chamber of Commerce, 1956?. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Johnston, David E. A History of Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1988. Available at FHL.

Maps[edit | edit source]

Radford (Independent City)Pulaski CountyMontgomery CountyCraig CountyBland CountyMercer CountySummers CountyMonroe CountyVA GILES.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
  • Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FHL. [Includes Giles County pensioners.]
  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Giles County on page 134.]
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]
War of 1812[edit | edit source]

Giles County men served in the 86th Regiment.[6]

  • List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Giles County, p. 81. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
Civil War[edit | edit source]

Regiments. Service men in Giles County, Virginia Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Giles County, Virginia Genealogy:

- 7th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (1st Nitre Battalion) (Confederate). Company D (The Mountain Boomers).[7]
- 23rd Battalion, Virginia Infantry Reserves (Confederate). Company G.[8]
- 24th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (New River Rifles).[9]
- 32nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A, B, G, and K.[10]
- 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company K.[11]

Records and histories are available, including:

Miscellaneous Records[edit | edit source]

Naturalization[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Giles County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.


Private Papers[edit | edit source]

  • French, David. Day Book, v. 2, 1835-1837. Original records, Giles County Courthouse, Pearisburg, Va.; also available on microfilm at FHL. [Book seems to be an account or ledger book for a private business or store. David French may have been the secretary or owner. Name and location of store or business was not given.]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Taxation[edit | edit source]

How can Virginia tax lists help me? 

  • 1806 - The 1806 Giles County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.
  • 1815 - Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Giles County is included in Vol. 5.]
  • 1815 - Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1815 Tax List of Giles County, Virginia: Abstracts of 300 Deeds and Surveys, 1806-1830; Detailed Map of Area Covered by Tax Collector. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1971. Available at FHL.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Indexes to Giles County, Virginia Genealogy births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Most records can also be ordered electronically online as well. Courtesy: FamilySearch. See also How to order Virginia Vital Records

Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Death[edit | edit source]
Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]
Tip
 For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Giles County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

Giles County Virginia Genealogy Websites[edit | edit source]

Giles County Virginia Genealogy References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ http://genealogy-quest.com/states/virginia/giles-county-virginia/history/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Giles County, Virginia. Page 714 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Giles County, Virginia . Page 710-723 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 715-720.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Giles _ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 15 January 2020.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 349, 421. Digital version at Google Books.
  6. ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 90. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
  7. ↑ David F. Riggs, 7th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1982). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 3.
  8. ↑ J.L. Scott, 23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1991). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 79.
  9. ↑ Ralph White Gunn, 24th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1987). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 34.
  10. ↑ Les Jensen, 32nd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1990). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 70.
  11. ↑ Scott C. Cole, 34th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 94.
  12. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/3/37/Igivirginia.pdf.
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